Sampling

I have been doing a lot of mix-a-sixing lately. I am a little disappointed at the lack of single bottle selection in Duluth. I get it that a liquor store is making its bank on the swill beer that the college crowd is going to pick up on but it is about specialty. Northern Minnesota is all about the craft beer so why not cater to it a bit more? Well, enough whining. As I sit and write this I am enjoying a FANTASTIC EPA from Odell Brewing called St. Lupulin. Now, Summit Brewery has no worries about my allegiance straying but this is simply amazing. It is a lot more floral than bitter and the bottle is just cool. After continuous sampling from Odell including their Cutthroat Porter, 5 Barrel, 90 Schilling, Red Ale, Isolation Ale, and the current, I could use a trip to Colorado.


A find I was excited about was Big Eddy's Baltic Porter from Leininkugels Brewery in Chippewa Falls WI. For me, Leine's has always been a flop. Their brews have been boring and don't bring much to the table but stale flavors and shoddy craft and their stupid Honeyweiss is the main culprit.I digress, Big Eddy Baltic Porter was a step up although not the greatest beer. I am comparing it to Surly Smoke Baltic Porter which may not be a fair side by side since Surly has a very different take on craft beer than most. Big Eddy was not as flavorful as i would have liked but packed a punch with 8.5% alcohol. I will be on the lookout for their Big Eddy genre for a while.


It is my favorite beer season though. Fall is when I really get back into beer. I have had some awesome fall brews and a new beer event. I kicked off the Oktoberfest season with Surly Fest. This may have ruined me for traditional Oktoberfest's. As I said earlier, Surly seems to have a different take on Oktoberfest than anyone else. The add a lot of hopps to the brew. They hit up a really great recipe. I am fortunate to live down the block from a liquor store that has a lot in stock that no one buys. Other noteworthy Oktobers have been Summit, Schell, New Glarus, and The Brewhouse in Duluth. All of these are pretty traditional recipe's that fall into the Marzen line.


I was lucky enough to get out for the night and hit up Duluth Oktoberfest at Tycoons Alehouse in the old City Hall building in town. It is an old building built in 1910 by the Freemasons. I met up with some friends from the Minneapolis area and we had a great night. We enjoyed Oktoberfest from The Brewhouse and Capitol Brewery. The Capitol wasn't the greatest. It was a lot like Point Oktoberfest which is lame because they make it all year. Way too malty. We had chicken and potatoes and beer brats which were amazing as well. We watched a stein holding contest and saw old people doing polka like Mack-10 Crip Walks.It was a great night!



As fall turns over to winter my beer journey continues. Winter Ale's here I come!!